Gonna give Mtn Cross a try – yikes-ola!

I would really like to have a big breakthrough this year in mtn biking. Both in the fitness realm and the technical/speedster realm. I’m an intermediate rider on the verge of being advanced technical rider. Whenever I ride with my girlfriends on technical terrain – they usually make me go first. I can ride a lot of the technical terrain I encounter – I just ride it slow. And on the downhills I lose a LOT of time on the swooping, fast, buff terrain. Go figure, eh?

I am aiming to take my riding to the next level – but that means (for me anyways) being focused and having a plan to improve (just like in my old pool days).

Part of my plan is to work with with Bobbi Watt (she won the expert class Dual Slalom @ Sea Otter 2 years ago and I think she moved up to Pro) on skills. We are supposed to meet today for a 2 hour session – but she’s been sick so we may postpone it. I hope not tho----I’m burnin’ daylight.

In addition to racing as many as possible SuperD races this season – I’m gonna give 4x a try too. Basically for 4x – 4 riders start together and the 1^st and 2^nd place riders advance to the next round. Here’s some pics from the local races. (pics from the www.cyclecindicate.com website) As you see the riders get up close and personal!

i’m pretty nervous about doing this because I don’t like sucking and I have a feeling I’ll be finishing quite a bit behind everyone else. Not quite the *right* attitude to have but we’ll see how it goes.

Actually I was on the fence about doing this because the Spring race series is a 3 hour drive out and 3 hours drive back – makes for a lot of driving for a little bit of riding. But I emailed the race director the following questions and these were his responses.

I’m officially “off the fence” and plan on heading to Nathrop on Sunday April 2^nd.

Quote:

Hello, I'm *very* interested in trying the 4x race this weekend. However, it would be my 1st attempt and I'm not a very fast downhill rider and I have a few questions. 1. I only have a XC FS bike(80mm up front & back). Can I use this to race 4x? 2. Is everything on the course rollable or am I forced to do big jumps? 3. Do you have a beginner women's category? Or do I have to ride with the experts? 4. Do you have to be all geared up downhill style? 5. Will i look like an idiot when I finish 1 minute behind everyone else? I'm 80% sure I'll do this - it's just a *lot* of driving (I live in boulder) for a little bit of riding. But I'm anxious to improve my descending skills this season and this seems like a good opportunity to do it. thanks! cynthia

Cynthia,

First off let me tell you how AWESOME it is that you're thinking of coming out! That is so dang cool I can hardly contain myself! Descending (as well as climbing) is a SUPER important part of all cycling, especially mtn biking, and it's great to here that you want to invest some time in honing those skills, not to mention having a boatload of fun doing it! Hopefully I can shed some light on some of your concerns:

1. Your bike should be no problem at all to race! Many people race 4X on hardtails with 80-100mm of fork travel, so that shouldn't be an issue. You will probably want to lower your seat down as far as it will go to allow you to roll through the course as easily and safley as possible, and if you have access to or could borrow a shorter stem and riser bar that may be an option as well, to give you a better position for descending and negotiating obstacles. The stem and bar aren't that big of a deal if you don't, and if you run the same setup you have for XC it will just help your skills with that setup!

2. Everything on all of the courses are 100% rollable, and even really fun while doing so! We have everyone from 8-yr-old junior riders to full-on Pro downhillers to accomodate, so the tracks are made safe, fun and challenging for all skill levels.

3. Beginner women's category, this one is a bit tricky. We won't know what the classes and categories are going to be until race day, depending on how many people show up and what they want to race. For the Mountain States Cup races, the beginner and Sport women generally are combined, to give a bit larger field of competition, and I expect we'll do something similar for the Spring Series.

4. It is not a requirement that you wear all the DH style armor, but you may consider it if you have access or could borrow some gear. Usually a little knee/shin protection, maybe some elbow pads, and a good helmet are all anyone needs for 4X. Remember, there aren't large rocks, roots, or trees to negotiate, and everything on the tracks are 100% rollable!

5. You will only look like an idiot if you're not grinning from ear to ear when you cross the finish line! Racing is all about fun, and riding your bike tends to make everyone I know happy! There are no judges here, and ESPECIALLY in the women's classes I see a lot more support, hugs, and shouts of encouragement than anything!

Hope that all helps, and with your permission, I'd love to ba able to re-post your message and my responses in the public forum... I think your concerns are shared among a lot of women, especially first-timers, and hopefully the fact that you have these concerns and my responses could help coax a lot of first-timers into coming out! Mountain Cross racing is really really fun, helps you with a great skillset, and isn't even close to as dangerous, scary, or daunting as so many people fear it is!